A Chance Meeting
by The Wolfman89
Summary: Two men who appear much younger than they really are meet by chance and have a discussion about their unnaturally long lives, setting of a chain of events none of them expected. Read and review if you please.
1. A Chance Meeting

Tried to capture a more mature version of Merlin that was at his core the same person with this.

* * *

Captain Jack Harkness was not a close-minded man; travelling through space and time, becoming immortal, and then making a living fighting aliens did that, but he knew certain things were impossible. There were simply some things that couldn't ever happen or exist. He had come to accept this in his unnaturally long life.

So to say he was shocked when he saw a scrawny boy in his early twenties standing over the now unconscious Weevil he'd been chasing, was an understatement. Weevils were strong; and this boy hardly looked up to the task of fighting off an old lady. The boy was staring at the Weevil, as if trying to make some kind of decision about it. Jack moved up behind him and raised his gun. This boy had seen an alien so Jack had to get him to take some retcon, which usually meant force-feeding it in these cases.

"Hands up." Jack said; using his most authoritative voice. The boy raised his hands.  
"Turn around." The boy did so. Jack was surprised that the boy looked familiar, though he couldn't quite place why. The boy's blue eyes landed on the gun; he looked almost bored, then they landed on the man's face, the boy barely concealed his surprise. He had met this man once.

Over one hundred years ago.

His face changed into an expression of mild interest.

"Do you recognize me?" The boy asked Jack. He was fairly certain this wasn't just an uncannily similar looking descendant, but it was always best to make sure before he blundered and revealed a few suspicious facts about himself. Jack lowered his gun a fraction of an inch.

"Yes." He answered after a very long time. He lowered his gun slightly more when he noticed the very out of place, nearly ancient looking neckerchief tied around the boy's neck. That was the trigger; he remembered where he'd met this man before, in a tavern, only a few weeks before he'd started working for Torchwood. He had tried flirting with him, only to have the boy very politely (especially so, considering the time period) tell him he wasn't interested in men. Jack had persisted with subtle hints until his chair had unexpectedly collapsed beneath him.

They continued to stare at one another, unspeaking; Jack didn't lower his gun until he heard a strong Welsh accent coming from the device in his ear.

"Jack, have you-"  
"Yeah, I found it, bringing her in now."

The boy glanced back at the Weevil, then back to Jack, then to the watch on his wrist.

"You have about one hour before it wakes up." He supplied. He turned to leave. Jack raised his gun again.

"You're coming too." He said, this wasn't about retcon anymore; he had a few questions he wanted answered, and the opportunity to talk to another person much older than they appeared.

Jack heard a few muttered words and the gun grew very hot in his hand, he dropped it before it burned his hand too severely.

"I'll come with you if you insist, but I wouldn't attempt to force me if I were you." The boy said. He really would have gone if Jack had just asked anyway.

Jack carried the Weevil to the SUV and put it in the back. Before getting in the driver's seat, Jack turned to the boy.

"What's your name?" He asked.  
"Merlin." The boy answered, Jack snorted in disbelief. Merlin said nothing as he slid into the passenger's seat. The ride was silent. Jack pulled up to the front entrance of the tourist information office.

"Wait here." He said; trying to sound authoritative again. Jack took the unconscious body of the Weevil in for Ianto to take to the Hub. He returned to the car to find Merlin fiddling idly with the strap on his seatbelt. It took only a few minutes for Jack to park the SUV near the secondary entrance. They stopped just short of the lift.

"You haven't asked me my name yet." Jack stated.  
"You've told me before," Merlin reminded him, "I have a _very_ good memory." Merlin and Jack stepped onto the concrete slab.

Merlin took in the Hub as they descended; two women were at separate computers, typing away busily. As he followed Jack to where ever he was leading him he noticed two men in what looked like an operating room of sorts; one wearing a lab coat, who was examining the Weevil that had just been brought in, the other seemed to only be observing. They all looked up as Jack and Merlin crossed the main room, Merlin was admittedly impressed; they definitely had technology way beyond anything he'd ever seen, and he'd seen quite a lot. They reached Jack's office and sat down. Ianto came in before they started talking.

"Anything I can get you, sirs?" He asked; he still played the role of the tea-boy from time to time, even though he was in the field more and more lately.  
"No thanks." Jack said.  
"Just tea, thank you." Merlin said politely; even after all these years it still felt awkward to be the one being served.

"Now, what did you want to talk about?" Merlin asked.  
"First things first; how did you knock out that Weevil?"  
"Oh, is that what it's called?" Merlin asked, Jack nodded, "I cast a simple sleep spell...which will be wearing off in the near future." Ianto reentered the room with Merlin's tea.  
"A spell? Right, well, you'll have to forgive me if I don't believe you. There's no such thing as magic."  
"Thank you." Merlin said as Ianto left, seemingly ignoring Jack's statement, he'd heard it far too many times. He took one look at the tea before trying to play it safe.  
"Buro pawb amhurdeb." He muttered lazily. His eyes flashed gold as he cleansed any potentially harmful substances from the tea.  
"You were saying?"

Jack was speechless; what was one supposed to say when _magic_ was used right in front of them, when they'd spent the better part of almost two hundred years believing it didn't exist. Merlin waited for Jack to find his voice.

"So…are you really Merlin, as in _the_ Merlin?"  
"Yes." Merlin said, taking a drink.  
"Why aren't you…?"  
"Old, bearded, and completely nonexistent?" Merlin supplied.  
"Yeah, that."  
"Most of the legends are wrong. I've looked like this since I was twenty-three." Merlin stated; Jack assumed he meant age wise, as Merlin was dressed modernly, with the exception of the neckerchief, and his hair could have been from any time after the invention of scissors.  
"How old _are_ you exactly?"  
"A little over a thousand…I didn't really keep track of what year it was in the old days. How about you?" Merlin asked, trying to keep the conversation in more friendly waters.  
"A little under two hundred." They were silent a while.  
"So…how have _you_ survived this long?" Merlin asked eventually.  
"Define survived." Jack said; a glimmer of dark humor in his voice.  
"Not died."  
"Then I haven't survived this long. Every time I die I come back; I don't have a choice…been useful though." Jack said; his immortality _had_ saved the Earth more than once. "Something happened, I became a fixed point in time and space. That's how the Doctor described it, anyway." Merlin's face darkened.  
"You've met him?"  
"Once; when I was…twenty one I think."  
"Why am I not surprised? What'd he do?" Jack asked, laughing.  
"Cured a disease even me and Gaius couldn't, got accused of being a sorcerer, let it slip to Arthur that I was a sorcerer after we helped him escape. It was _not_ a good week."  
"King Arthur?" jack interrupted  
"He was just Prince at the time, but yes. The Doctor told me that the disease was 'from another world', I never knew what exactly he meant for a long time…"Merlin trailed off. Jack realized that Merlin hadn't been aware of the existence of aliens until they started being more active around Earth, probably around the time Torchwood was founded.  
"You said you helped him escape; what from?"  
"The dungeons. Magic was punishable by death when Uther was king. Me and Arthur broke him out the night before his execution."  
"You were friends?"  
"Yes…and I was his personal servant too, before he promoted me to his advisor…Uther didn't like that." Merlin said, he seemed almost lost in the memories, he had a more prominent smile at the moment. Jack pressed on, this was interesting, even to him.  
"How'd Arthur take to you being a sorcerer?"  
"He was furious…told me not to speak to him until he sent for me ,which ended up being a week later , at least he gave me the chance to explain before he decided what to do. He promoted me right after my 'trial.'"  
"And Uther never found out about you having magic?"  
"He did, eventually, but Arthur managed to talk him down, and it probably didn't hurt my case that I'd used magic to save Arthur for about the two-hundredth time." They fell into silence again; Jack didn't want to press too far into Merlin's memories.  
"So how come _you _are immortal?"  
" I'm guessing you want to know more of why instead of how? I think that's pretty obvious." Merlin confirmed; Jack nodded.  
"I heard a prophecy; saying that Arthur would return one day, I wanted to make sure I was there to protect him when that eventually happened," Merlin started, before continuing, "My plan wasn't fool proof though, I put a curse on myself to lock my age, but I could still be killed."  
"You should be careful who you tell that to." Jack said.  
"I'm not worried, I'm pretty well protected from almost everything."  
"I'm going to guess that magic could still get you?"  
"You're right, but I can take care of myself."

Jack chose his words carefully before he spoke next.  
"Do you ever regret it?" Jack asked.  
"Sometimes, but Arthur needs me, so I'll wait as long as I have to. He'll be furious with me when he finds out I lied to him about aging…told him I'd start as soon as he died. Still, living this long does have benefits, I've gotten to see the world change so much." Merlin said nonchalantly, as if he knew the conversation was going to come to this at some point. It was Merlin that spoke next.

"I mastered life and death a very long time ago…if you really wanted me to, I could probably insure that you didn't come back next time you died." He offered, he knew the feeling of seemingly living forever.  
"If you had told me that a few months ago I'd have taken you up on it, but now I know I have to keep coming back, for my team."  
"I can respect that," Merlin said. Silence reined once more, until Jack spoke once again, trying to steer the conversation out of these more serious topics for now.

"So, what brings you to Cardiff?" Jack asked.  
"I'd heard some rumors, things that sounded like magic…I wanted to know if they were true," Merlin said, "I've been in town less than a week." He sipped some more of his tea. Jack could tell part of him missed the days when magic was apparently all around.  
"We have had a few problems that could have used your expertise now that I know magic probably caused them. Like the fairies…" Jack said.  
"Horrible creatures, I thought I got rid of them ages ago, guess I missed a few. They aren't as powerful as they like to make you think." Merlin added.  
"You know…your knowledge and power could be really helpful, if you want a job-" Jack began, Merlin interrupted him.  
"Thanks for the offer, but aliens aren't really my forte, I've only met a few."  
"Your knowledge of history would be useful too," Jack said before adding, "You could help save a lot of lives. Jack had him beat there and he knew it.

"Maybe…as a consultant, or an in-case-of-emergency." Merlin said finally. He finished his tea and yawned.  
"Chytia a bapuro d ata." He said; conjuring a pen and paper. He wrote the number for his cell phone down, as well as the name of the Hotel he was staying at and the room number.  
"I'll be here for now. I'll find a flat so I can stay local, as long as I'm on Earth I'm sure I'll find Arthur when the time comes." Merlin said; he wanted to wrap this up, it was getting late.

"Would you like to meet the team?" Jack asked him, Merlin shrugged, he might as well, and it would save awkward introductions later. They walked into the main room. Jack whistled.

"Everyone, get over here!" He shouted, startling most of them out of their work. As soon as everyone had gathered around, and looked at Merlin curiously, Jack pointed to each of them in turn.

"This is Gwen Cooper, our liaison with the police." He said; indicating Gwen. Merlin nodded in acknowledgement. Gwen waved.  
"Toshiko Sato, our Tech Specialist." He continued, pointing at Toshiko in turn.  
"Hello." Said Toshiko. Merlin nodded again.  
"Dr. Owen Harper, our Medic." Said Jack, gesturing at Owen. Merlin nodded.  
"And last but not least, Ianto Jones…Mission Support and Time Management." Jack stumbled a bit over Ianto's role, as he was just recently beginning to take a more active role in things. Ianto seemed to take no offense, and extended his hand for Merlin to shake, which he did. Jack seemed not to know how to overcome this next introduction.

"Everyone, this is Merlin," Jack stated; deciding to take the direct approach, "Our new…magical consultant."

Owen outright laughed, Toshiko's eyebrows shot into her bangs, Ianto attempted to keep his face a polite smile but his surprise shown through, and Gwen's reaction was a very shocked "What?"

Merlin barely stifled the laugh he was about to let go, it may not have been the warmest reception he'd ever received, but it was certainly an interesting one.

"Right, Ianto, find Merlin an apartment near the Hub."  
"Yes sir." Ianto said, sitting down at one of the many computers and getting to work. This seemed to split the rest of the group up, Gwen was about to make conversation with Merlin (and find out if he was the real thing), when Jack addressed her.  
"Gwen, give Merlin the grand tour. Merlin, I want a word before you leave." Merlin nodded to signify he understood. Gwen proceeded to show Merlin around the Hub. By the time she was done Ianto had already found and acquired a place for Merlin to live, and she was fairly certain that Merlin was indeed the genuine article, as he had performed a few tricks for her benefit when she'd asked about it.

"Here you are, sir. We can have moving crews move any personal effects for you as early as tomorrow." Said the ever-professional Ianto, handing Merlin a folder with all the details of his new residence.  
"Thank you, but I won't need that, I can move it myself…actually, it's probably best I do move it myself." Merlin said, he had a few things that normal people really shouldn't be messing with, besides, it was far quicker for him to transport everything with magic.  
"Alright then, Jack is waiting for you in his office." Ianto informed him. Merlin proceeded back to Jack's office. Jack looked up from some papers when he arrived.  
"Gwen showed you the front door?" He asked.  
"Yes."  
"Good, you can use that entrance now. Come and go as you please." Jack said; he knew he had no power over Merlin, but was trusting in the boy's sense of loyalty.  
"Yes, sir."  
"I don't need to tell you not to tell anyone about us."  
"You're right, you don't." Merlin said almost jokingly. Jack stood up.  
"Will you be coming in tomorrow?" Jack asked, "Because we're paying for that apartment, I want you to at least be here some of the time."  
"Don't worry, I'll be here." Merlin said; he walked out, for the first time in several years, he had a reason for his magic.

* * *

Timeline: Season two after the first episode but before Owen dies for Torchwood. Merlin, I don't know, sometime after season two, I haven't any of season 3 yet.

"SO what do you think? I intended this as a one shot, but I really want to right another chapter…I'll leave this as incomplete for now and see what you guys say.


	2. Dead Men Tell No Tales

Ok, so this chapter is partially Merlin inserted into an episode, and I don't like it as much as I liked last chapter, but I'm too critical of my own stuff. I'm trying to build a solid _friendship_ between Merlin and Gwen. Thank you to all my reviewers!

* * *

_The assassin had gotten in a very strong blow to Arthur's side before Arthur cut him down, and he was now bleeding profusely; the wound was fatal, everyone in the court knew it. Merlin looked Arthur in the eyes with resigned determination.  
"Merlin, don't you dare!" Arthur commanded, he knew what Merlin was planning, but he would be damned if he allowed Merlin to do it. The King, knights, and who knew how many guards were watching.  
"That's an order!" Arthur shouted as Merlin drew near, knowing that he was utterly incapable of stopping Merlin at the moment. Merlin merely rolled his eyes and knelt next to his quickly paling friend. His eyes met Gaius' then; the Physician knew that it would be selfish and pointless to argue.  
"__Feddyginiaetha hon farwol archolla!"_ _Merlin said as light flowed from his fingertips to Arthur's now rapidly healing wound._

_The sound of several swords being drawn was suddenly drowned out by a loud buzzing._

Merlin's hand slammed down on his alarm to silence it. So, he was reliving _that_ memory again; not that he minded, it wasn't really a bad memory. He pulled himself out of bed, today was one of the days he normally went into the Hub. Merlin had made it habit to go in at least four times a week.

He greeted Ianto as he entered, before walking down the long hallway. Merlin waved at Gwen and Tosh as he passed by them on the way to what was now his section of the Hub. Honestly, Merlin couldn't _quite_ see the point of his area, he had done little more than pass the time since accepting his position in Torchwood. He had cleaned the cells (which took no more than a few seconds), gone through a relatively small amount of Torchwood's "Alien Tech" to see if any of it was actually magical (he'd found one item of magic origin, and deemed it "mostly harmless"), but most of his time was spent thumbing through one of his many books, or occasionally some sort of magic experiment. So today Merlin sat, a bowl of water in front of him, and a spellbook propped open. Sometime later Gwen came over to talk to him. He'd made it clear he didn't mind being interrupted.

"So, what are you up to?" She asked; she and Ianto had taken the greatest interest in his magic, and his stories, Owen had seemed vaguely interested by his knowledge of medieval medicine. Toshiko wasn't cold toward him, but the two never found much to discuss.

"Scrying," Merlin said, then, catching her confused look he explained, "trying to see the future, but I've always been horrible at it. I'm just trying to check the weather tomorrow…it's going to be incredibly rainy sometime in the next couple months." He sighed in exasperation before making the water in the bowl vanish. "Crystals are more accurate, but I try and steer clear of them, it's ended badly every time." Merlin said for her benefit.  
"So, what brings you over here today?" Merlin asked; smiling. Gwen regularly asked him about his past, and he was only too happy to oblige; it had been a few centuries since he had been able to speak freely about his past; the dragon had died of old age just over three hundred years ago.

One of Gwen's common methods was to ask about something from the legends, and then listen as Merlin debunked it, she'd avoided any major elements for a while, sticking to slightly more obscure things (she'd been researching a bit), but she thought she could ask about one of the more iconic ones now.

"I wanted to ask about Excalibur." She said. Merlin smiled.

"I think I might know _something_ about it. It was at Arthur's coming of age ceremony…" Merlin began.

"But honestly! It wasn't _my _fault! He was the king! How was I supposed to keep him from using it?" Merlin finished that part of the story. Gwen had learned that Merlin acted significantly less mature when he got caught up in telling a story, she laughed at his outburst.

"So, what did you do then?"  
"I stole it from the armory and tossed into a lake."  
"So how did Arthur get it?" Gwen asked; Merlin hesitated.  
"The Lady of the Lake gave it to him. The stories did get _that_ part right." He said, an almost imperceptible tightness in his voice now.  
"The Lady of-" Gwen began, Merlin cut her off.  
"I'd rather not talk about her…maybe another time. Sorry." Merlin said; he'd said it kindly, but Gwen took it to mean that they were done for now. Merlin turned back to his desk and sighed deeply. Freya, it wasn't like talking about her threw him into an all-consuming depression, but it stung a little and he liked to avoid talking about her, and he'd rather know Gwen a bit better before he told her anything so personal. He returned the water to his bowl and began scrying again, looking for absolutely nothing in particular. The first thing he saw was what appeared to be a metal gauntlet. _"Great, now I'm seeing the past."_ Merlin thought sarcastically. He shook the bowl and tried again. After a few more attempts and managing to gain nothing significant he desisted, and vanished the water yet again. Merlin decided to go for a walk; he was utterly hopeless with computers, so there wasn't much he could do to help with Torchwood's usual work. After stepping off the invisible lift Merlin walked around the plaza.  
Jack was startled when Merlin landed next to him on the roof; he hadn't noticed him fly up.  
"Don't you have a teleportation spell you could have used instead?" Jack asked, Merlin shrugged.  
"Makes me a bit nauseas." He told him. Jack studied him for a moment.  
"I'm glad you're here, actually, I had something to ask you." Jack said. Merlin's interest was piqued, "I need you not to come in at all next week." Merlin's shoulders slumped a little, he had been expecting something a little more grand.  
"Can I ask why?" Merlin inquired.  
"I have a friend coming in, and I'm fairly certain she doesn't believe in magic, and since she's doing me a favor being here…"  
"You don't want to have to explain me." Merlin finished for him. Jack would rather not lie to this friend of his, Merlin could tell.  
"Something like that."  
"I'll hide my books." Merlin said; they were quiet for a while, looking out over the city below them. After some time they took the stairway down, Torchwood apparently owned the building.

Merlin was getting ready to leave for the day when Gwen approached him.  
"I wanted to-" She began, Merlin stopped her with a wave of his hand and a smile.  
"There's no need, I know you couldn't have known. So…did you want to talk?"  
"Actually…"

When Gwen had invited him to join her on the shooting range, he hadn't imagined he'd be the one doing the shooting, but here he was, for the first time in who knew how many years using a weapon…and not very effectively.

"Well, at least you hit the target once." Gwen said through giggles.  
"I always was helpless with weapons, Arthur nearly cried when he tried to teach me the right way to fire a crossbow."  
"You really are a horrible shot, aren't you?" Gwen asked. Merlin shot her a smirk before turning back toward the target. He raised his hand towards it.

"Bwria!" Merlin said loudly. A hole was blasted in the center of the target.  
"And _that_ is why I don't need a gun!" Merlin said; mock triumph on his face. Gwen was still laughing.  
"Oh, shut up." Merlin added cheerfully, he really was having fun. Gwen calmed herself a little.  
"So, are you that bad with _all_ weapons?"  
"I'm not too bad with a sword; Arthur _heavily suggested_ I learned how to use one properly, and he was actually a really good teacher, but I'd still rather rely on my natural talents. I'm a very good shot with that." Merlin said, a glint in his eye.  
"Well, I need to get back to work." Gwen said; there had been a string of strange murders lately, and she _was_ the one with police skills.  
"I should be going then, nothing for me to do here." They both left the shooting range and went their separate ways. Merlin cast a spell over his area so no one apart from him would notice it, and after a short conversation with Ianto, he headed for the exit. He stopped yet again when he came across Jack.  
"I know you don't want me coming in next week, but if you have a magical emergency, _please_ call me. "  
"I know. If we come across something we can't handle then we'll call you." Jack said; but the odds of that happening were very slim.

It was slightly less than a week since Merlin had been at the Hub last, and apart from going out for drinks with Gwen and Owen (Gwen's fiancé was apparently with one of his friends) once, he had had no contact with anyone from Torchwood, and he was sleeping comfortably in his bed; that's when he felt it first, powerful magic was being used, his eyes shot open. On high alert he got himself out of bed, dressed, and waited. It was a few hours before he felt anything else. He reached for his mobile; surely Jack or someone would call if it was an emergency; he was trying to honor Jacks wishes, after all, from what Jack had said they had handled some fairly powerful magical entities before, but he felt uneasy. Not too much time had passed since he had felt the second burst of magic that his cell phone rang. Jack was calling.

"Hello?"  
"Merlin, come to the Hub." Jack said; his voice deadly serious.  
"I'm on my way." Merlin said.

Merlin made straight for Jack when he entered the Hub.  
"You called?" Merlin asked. He nodded politely to Jack's guest.

"Take a look at Owen," Jack said briskly, "Martha, give him the rundown."

Jack's guest, which Merlin took to be named Martha, ran through various statistics on Owen's vitals. Merlin gathered two things from this: Owen was dead, and he was still moving because of an "unknown energy". He set to work immediately and instantly began muttering spells, looking up to see if they had any effect. After nearly five minutes of constant spell casting he desisted.  
"I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do, not without killing someone." He sighed.

It was nearly three in the morning by the time everyone had left the Hub; Merlin had seen all the footage (he didn't recognize the magical dialect Owen spoke, but he was sure it was one of them, there were still dozens he wasn't familiar with), and gotten the full story of what had happened. He had waited for everyone to leave so he could have a word with Jack.

"You should have called sooner." Merlin said bluntly, his jaw set.  
"It didn't have anything to do with you." Jack responded.  
"Nothing to do with me? A gauntlet that can reach into the afterlife and pluck people back from it? Clearly nothing magical about that!" Merlin's voice was dripping with sarcasm.  
"It wasn't from Earth." Jack shot back.  
"Oh, you have a 'this was made by aliens and not by magic' test? If the metal was magic _of course_ it wouldn't register as a normal metal!" A very loud clap of thunder made Merlin calm down; he hadn't been meaning to cause a storm. He took a deep breath before continuing.  
"Next time something like this happens call me immediately or I'll assume the worst and teleport straight to you. Honestly, Jack, I want to help but you have to let me."

Merlin began to walk out, but paused on his way to the door.  
"I'm taking the day off tomorrow, I need to catch up on some sleep."

* * *

I know, a bit shorter than last chapter; I wanted to put in a huge battle between Merlin and Duroc (Death), but it kept coming out wrong. Anyway, next chapter is on to a more original plotline, so there's that. Remember, lemme know what you loved or hated.


	3. Hide and Seek

Sorry it took so long for me to update, I find that if I set a schedule for myself I'm much less likely to update. I'll try and be faster next time, but no promises. And I apologize that I'm bad at responding to reviews. I do this mostly late at night/early morning, and I tend to be a bit lazy around those times. Know that I appreciate all the support though. (A note about the dropped battle with Duroc: I couldn't work it in, you see, by my logic, if Merlin won, then Owen wouldn't get his moment, but if Merlin lost he would have looked weak/incompetent, I may post what I had written after the end of another chapter as kind of a deleted scene though)

* * *

_Entire sections of the castle lie in ruins, the sounds of spells flying and swords clashing resounded throughout the battlefield that was Camelot. Merlin stood in the midst of the fray, locked in battle with Morgana, the dead body of Morgause lying nearby. He managed to overpower her…  
"Please Morgana; we don't have to do this." He said half-heartedly, he'd given up trying with her years ago; they were dueling with swords and magic. Morgana looked much the same as she had thirty years ago, having cast an illusion to preserve her image, but her true body had aged, it had grown weaker.  
"Yes we do, Merlin." She said to the ever-young man standing across from her. He sighed.  
"Is there nothing I can say, nothing I can do?" He asked sadly. Morgana merely laughed. He really hadn't expected anything different.  
"I'm sorry." He whispered softly, going in for a killing stroke just as Arthur's and Mordred's pained yells echoed across the courtyard._

"ARTHUR!" Merlin sprang up in a cold sweat; he was shaking. He glanced at the clock next to his bed; it was three-thirty in the morning. He got out of bed, there was no chance of him sleeping anymore tonight. Merlin glanced around the room, well, there was nothing for him here at the moment, and he needed a distraction. He dressed himself and headed for Torchwood; he knew it was likely no one was there at the moment, but at least he would have something to read, as he kept all but one of his spell books there.

With a wave of his hand and a whispered spell he opened up the front door to the information office, then, not knowing where the switch to open up the hidden door was, he used magic on it too.  
"_I should probably do something about that…" _Merlin thought, after all, if someone with even a basic knowledge of spells would have wanted to enter Torchwood, then they would have a very easy time of it. He ran his hand along the door and muttered a few warding spells, making anyone unable to open the door by magic unless it was him.

When Merlin came to the main area of the hub he noticed it was very dark, the only light coming from computer screens and various other objects. He made his way to his area and conjured a ball of blue light to read by; after all, he was in no mood to look for a light switch. He made himself comfortable in his chair and began reading. He had been reading for nearly half an hour when…  
"Merlin?" Sounded Jack's voice. Merlin dropped his book in surprise.  
"Oi! Don't sneak up on me like that." Merlin said indignantly. Jack chuckled.  
"What are you doing here so early? You usually don't show up until after everyone else."  
"Couldn't sleep." Merlin stated, his tone barely masking the fact that he didn't want to talk about it.  
"Well, since you're here come take a look at something. It looks like your department." Jack said; Merlin noted that this was the most informal they'd been with each other in the two weeks since the incident with the Resurrection Gauntlet. Jack led him to a computer and brought up some CCTV footage. Merlin watched as Jack talked.

"We picked up reports of unexplained deaths, we finally managed to find some footage with a clue." Jack said just as Merlin saw a man get hit full in the chest with what was almost certainly a spell.  
"How old is this?" Merlin asked.  
"We found this last night."

"I can't be sure since we can't see the caster, but it looks like magic to me." Merlin confirmed.  
"How powerful?"  
"Not very. It doesn't take much talent to kill someone with magic. Of course, they could be capable of much more than we're being shown."  
"Care to look into it?"  
"It _is_ my job, I'll need help tracking them down though, I'm no detective."  
"Gwen and Ianto can help with that."  
"Any other footage?" Merlin asked, Jack shook his head.  
"No; they couldn't determine an accurate time of death, so there's been a lot to sort through."

Merlin spent much of the next few hours reviewing the footage, playing it back several times, looking for some further clue that it was indeed magic. After determining he would get nothing more from the video he went to Jack.

"I need to see the body." He said flatly. Jack led him to the morgue; Torchwood had confiscated the body for now. Merlin immediately set to work, examining the man's chest where the spell had struck him, and whispering a few spells of his own every now and again.

"We're dealing with a sorcerer." He said finally; letting out a sigh.  
"Any recommendations?"  
"After we find him I'll want to question him, I'll need to know where they learned magic. I'll deal with the rest, though you may need to retcon him."

Merlin took his leave of Jack and waited for Ianto and Gwen to arrive. They shouldn't be too long. He returned to his book, but had been reading it for all of ten minutes when Ianto arrived.  
"Looks like you'll be joining me on a witch hunt." Merlin said cheerily, finally happy for something to do; "Jack said your knowledge base would be helpful."  
"Yes, well, I do know the area quite well." Ianto said modestly, his knowledge of the area and its history was unsurpassed.

Merlin and Ianto slipped into conversation while they waited for Gwen to arrive. When she did, at roughly the same time as Tosh and Owen, Merlin waited for her to get settled and approached her.

"You're with me today." Merlin told her, before gesturing for her and Ianto to follow him. He led them to the monitor that he had watched the footage on earlier and started it over again (Jack had had to show him how).

"We're looking for a sorcerer," Merlin narrated, "The problem being I have no idea where to start, that's a fairly vague spell…" By appearances it was an energy blast (Merlin's spells had only told him that it was magic, not the exact spell), which was most likely why Jack hadn't informed him immediately, Merlin concluded, as that could also have been caused by a piece of alien technology. After the end of the footage, Gwen went into full investigative mode.  
"What should we be looking for? Are there any defining traits of sorcerer's that might narrow the list down a little?"

Merlin pondered this for a moment, "Hmm…well, magic is hard to learn, so they _might_ be an older person; but that's hardly definitive, I've met plenty of young sorcerers too."  
"We're going to need more than that."  
"More powerful sorcerer's eyes glow like mine when they cast a spell." Merlin said; he really had no idea where to start. Gwen just looked at him waiting for more.  
"And I think another sorcerer probably taught them; most people with the gift never realize it, and even those that do notice usually never learn a spell…I haven't seen a practicing sorcerer for over three hundred years." Merlin hesitated, "Sorry, there's no real way to identify a sorcerer, short of going up to every person in Cardiff and checking. Maybe if I wasn't so bad at scrying I'd be able to find them…" He trailed off, scrying was one of the two aspects of magic he'd never gotten the hang of (the other being healing, having nearly passed out at every attempt to heal major wounds ). Gwen sighed.

"First thing we'll want to do is check all the reports on unexplained deaths and see if there's a pattern. If we're lucky then we might be able to narrow down the search to a single area of the city."

She began bringing up several police reports, while Ianto made notes of the location of the bodies. Merlin; feeling utterly useless, began telling them what to expect when and if they finally did track down this sorcerer.  
"Right, first things first, if they choose to fight I don't want the two of you intervening, run if I tell you to, I'll want to interrogate them too, find out where they learned magic from; that sort of thing." He felt like he was rambling, so he fell silent as Gwen and Ianto worked.

It didn't take long for Gwen and Ianto to work out where the majority of the deaths had occurred. It seemed the bodies were mostly found at the eastern outskirts of the city (some even outside the city limits), and generally in more private and secluded areas; making the CCTV footage a blessing. They set out in the SUV.

They spent a great deal of the day examining the crime scenes, but some of them were months old; predating Merlin's arrival.  
"Not to be rude, but how did this slip under your guys' radar for so long?" Merlin inquired. Gwen shrugged.  
"We don't see _everything_, things are bound slip through every now and again. Even then, just because they can't figure it out doesn't really make it our territory."  
"Fair enough."

Merlin, Gwen, and Ianto didn't manage to find any clues that day, but Merlin really hadn't expected it to be that easy. The next day found them at the police station, talking to Gwen's old partner (Andy Davidson), who Merlin gathered knew a bit more about Torchwood than most people.

"Recruiting a bit young now, aren't you?" He questioned taking one look at Merlin; Gwen waved the question off.  
"We need to ask you-" Gwen began; Andy cut her off.  
"If I'd seen anything weird I'd have let you know already." Andy said, "I'll keep my eyes open." He added, slightly apologetically. After Gwen made a little small talk (with Ianto and Merlin hanging awkwardly in the background), they left for one of the few possible places on a lead were. They found themselves on a deserted road outside the city. There was literally nothing there for them; this one was a stretch, as it was an earlier case, and all that had been found was an abandoned car and some scorch marks (not to mention it was terribly far outside the city).  
Dusk was setting in as they decided to return to the hub. They got in the SUV and began to head back. It was just as Ianto was getting up to speed that it happened. Merlin felt a pull, something on the edge of his mind, there was something magic in the air, his eyes snapped to an apparently blank stretch of grassland.  
"Stop the car!" He nearly yelled. Ianto slammed on the brakes.  
"Give us a little warn-" was all Merlin heard from Gwen, he was already outside the car and half-running towards where the magic was leading him. He came to a stop about three minutes later.  
"Why are we running?" Gwen asked; Merlin turned from examining the apparently blank space to grin at her from ear to ear.  
"Because, unless I'm wrong, we just found our sorcerer."  
"There's nothi-," Gwen stopped herself, of course, magic.  
"Na adwyth ewyllysia ddianc 'm drem." Merlin whispered. What could only be described as a (relatively) small mansion came into view, as did the road leading to it.  
"Right," Merlin dropped the cheerful air he'd been putting on, "if it comes down to fighting-"  
"Stay out of your way, sir." Ianto finished for him. Merlin nodded.

"Allinan." He said, unlocking the door; knocking would only completely obliterate any chance at the element of surprise they may have had left. Merlin opened the door, immediately seeing a three headed dog made of stone charging at him.

"Astrice!" He shouted, shooting a blast out of his hand; the dog exploded into ruble. There went the element of surprise. Merlin quickly surveyed the space, the room was fairly open, as good a place as any should he need to fight. A man appeared at the top of the stairs. He looked exactly the part of an evil sorcerer, complete with grey beard and mustache, and all black clothes (a long coat in place of a robe).

"You killed my guard dog." He stated matter-of-factly. Merlin stayed silent. "Who are you?" The sorcerer added.  
"We're Torchwood." Merlin answered.  
"Torchwood?" The man asked, mildly surprised, "I have to admit; I'm impressed you found me."  
"You're under arrest for suspicion of the murder of sixteen people." Merlin remained trying to sound official.  
"You may have some magical talent, boy, but do not think you can hope to overcome me. I have studied and practiced magic for nearly thirty years."

"Find some cover." Merlin whispered over his shoulder. He turned back to the sorcerer, "If you refuse to come peacefully, I _will_ use force." Merlin said, keeping up the professional façade. The sorcerer descended the stairs.

"Have it your way then; I would have spared you," He raised a hand, "Anrheithia Sarhaus Chroten!" he yelled, magic shooting at Merlin. Gwen and Ianto watched as Merlin dodged the blast with amazing speed and reflex. The spell blasted a hole in the wall. The sorcerer kept sending spell after spell at Merlin, which he kept dodging.  
"You have some skills," The sorcerer stated between spells, "I could teach you, you know, there is much you could learn from me." He was about to start speaking again when Merlin cut him off.  
"I've heard that speech before, from people that were much more qualified to give it. Just give up." Merlin said; rolling his eyes. He'd lost count of exactly how many times he'd heard this offer, and frankly, this sorcerer was the least powerful one to ever give it. The sorcerer shot another spell at him.  
"Gescildan!" Merlin shouted; throwing up a shield, the spell broke upon Merlin's shield. The sorcerer shot another spell at Merlin, but this time Merlin had had enough.

"Hon Bennau!" He yelled, his spell tore through the other sorcerer's spell, and continued. The other sorcerer threw up a shield in panic, but it shattered when Merlin's spell impacted it, he had time to register this before it struck him squarely in the chest. He was blasted off his feet. Merlin approached him. The sorcerer attempted to cast another spell at Merlin, but Merlin merely raised a hand and blocked it wordlessly; his eyes boring into the sorcerer.  
"I am so old now," Merlin said, "I used to have so much mercy, you get one last chance. Understand?" The sorcerer nodded.

"Gwen, Ianto, you can come out now." He said, he'd intentionally kept the sorcerer's attention away from their spot behind an upturned table. They joined him.  
"First things first, do you have any spell books, or other magic artifacts?" Merlin asked.  
"I have a spell book, on the desk in my study." He responded failing horribly at keeping the fear out of his voice.  
"Did you kill those people?" Merlin asked.  
"I did."  
"Why? You were given a gift! Why would you use it for evil?"  
"My master demanded it! She said I had to or she wouldn't teach me any more magic!" He said, quelling under Merlin's anger.  
"Your master?" Merlin asked, calming down.  
"A woman! She gave me the spell book, she told me I had magic, showed me what I could be capable of!" He said quickly.  
"What was this woman's name?" Merlin asked, if he had a name then tracking down this sorcereress would be easier, he'd very much like to question her.  
"She called herself M-" Unfortunately, that was all he managed to say before he started convulsing. Merlin recognized it immediately as a curse.  
"No!" Merlin cried, before muttering a stream of counter-curses; none of which worked. Less than a minute later, the man lay dead. All was silent for a long time.

"Merlin?" Gwen questioned eventually, tentatively placing a hand on Merlin's shoulder. When he turned to look at her and Ianto they could see that he looked greatly troubled by something.  
"Let's go get the spellbook, shall we?" Merlin said, pulling on a false grin in an attempt to dissuade them from asking questions. They gathered the spellbook and exited the house. Merlin turned to it after they were a good distance away.  
"Forbearne! Akwele!" He said; the entire house immediately went up in flames, he then reinstated the illusion that had kept the house hidden.  
"What are you doing?" Gwen asked, a little shocked.  
"Whoever taught him magic is certainly powerful enough to reanimate him; I like to think he wouldn't want his body used as a puppet." Merlin said contemplatively; he was a little disappointed that this had had to end in death; but then, Merlin reflected, this wasn't really over.  
"There's a Sorceress out there; one powerful enough to stop me from saving that man." He said, Ianto and Gwen had gathered as much but didn't remind Merlin of that.  
"What should we do next?" Ianto asked. Merlin hesitated.  
"We wait, they'll come to us." _"Or to me."_ He added in his head. After they got back to the hub and reported to Jack what had happened Merlin went to sit down at his desk. Gwen approached him.  
"Are you ok?" She asked him, he turned to her, a small smile in place.  
"I'm fine,"  
"I thought that you might be upset, that man was the first sorcerer that you've met in a long time, wasn't he?"  
"Yes. Don't worry about it Gwen, I'm perfectly fine, it's regrettable that he died, but he was hardly an innocent. I'm used to there not being sorcerers anymore." He said truthfully. It was more the fact that someone powerful enough to cast a curse that he couldn't undo was on the loose. What disturbed him more was the information he'd managed to get out of the sorcerer about this person.  
"You in for drinks tonight? Owen and Ianto are going." Gwen asked him.  
"I need to talk to Jack about something. I'll go next time."  
"I'll see you later than." She said. Merlin said his farewell as well, then went to Jack's office.

"Jack." Merlin said, taking a seat across from him. Jack looked up.  
"You want to add something to your report?" Jack asked uncertainly. Merlin could be difficult to read sometimes.  
"No…nothing like that; I wanted to ask you something." Merlin couldn't think of how to phrase his question.  
"Then ask." Jack said.  
"I wanted to talk about the Doctor."

Of all the things Jack had been expecting, that wasn't it. He recovered quickly however and began telling Merlin what he could about the Doctor. Merlin had never heard Jack speak of anyone quite so highly.

"So…what did he look like when you met him?" Jack asked eventually; he was curious which regeneration Merlin had met.  
"Longish hair…tweed jacket." Was all Merlin could come up with; it _had_ been a long time, so a few details had faded with time.

"Don't think I've met that one yet." Jack said. A short time later Merlin left. Jack gave him a dossier on the Doctor, which included photos of the two incarnations Jack had met.

Merlin headed back to his flat, knowing that his first case with Torchwood wasn't really closed, and a feeling that something major was on the horizon.


End file.
